Defeating The Devil

Friday's Devotion (1-13-06)

"Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved." Luke 8:12 (KJV)

Know God's Word (The Bible) well. That advice will change your life forever, in so many ways... but it will change your life for the better. Some of you probably come here, and you don't take that advice seriously at all. I don't think those of you that don't take it seriously really understand. I don't think you understand why I preach this message for you to know the Bible yourself. You probably say, "I go to church, etc." But guess what? That's the exact reason I'm preaching what I am about knowing the Bible well. So many ministers have their own belief on what the Bible SHOULD say. Their authority in the congregation goes to their heads. They think that because they're ministers that they're always right, or that they can make their own book and add it to the Bible, or take the Bible away completely. And the sad thing is that some of you believe that because they are "ministers" you can trust them to be good stewards of God's Word automatically. Think again! I know of a well known and respected minister that has people believing things that are totally against the Bible's teachings. I can show these people the scriptures that prove the guy wrong, and they say, "He's been doing this job for a long time, I believe him." Well, the Bible has lasted for generations and I BELIEVE IT! I will not be condemned to Hell because someone wanted to deceive me. Someone tried and almost got the job done, that's why I started to learn the Bible. That's why I'm telling you this today.

A minister friend of mine put it well. He said that when it comes to quoting scripture if one thing is out of place or added to it, it can make a world of difference in what the scripture is trying to actually say. You know what's dangerous about that? That means that if you don't know the Bible well, then you can be tricked easily. Here's an example, the 9th commandment says, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour." If someone wanted to trick you, they could say, "Thou shalt (Not removed,) bear false witness against thy neighbour." That's just a silly example, I'm sure none of you would fall for that trick... But people can be a lot more tricky than that. The devil is full of tricks, don't forget that. Remember that God makes us better people, so the devil makes people worse people. God makes us honest, the devil makes us deceitful. So, if someone is working with the devil... Then they also have the power of the devil with them, and that power includes deceit! The only way to out smart the devil's deceit is to know the truth of God. We can't defeat the devil on our own, but through Jesus Christ we will triumph! Defeating the devil in your life comes by knowing Jesus Christ well, by knowing His Word.

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this message, and for all things. Please forgive us of all our sins, and we forgive all those who've wronged us. Please help us to know you through your Word. Draw us closer to you, and may the devil's deceit have no power over us. In Jesus name. A-men!

God bless!

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